alongside the neighbouring German Thälmann Battalion, which held off a frontal assault on their hill-top, inflicting severe casualties on the attacking regulares with machine gun fire. The rapid withdrawal of the Franco-Belgian battalion meant that Suicide Hill had to be abandoned, but the delay caused by XV International Brigade had slowed the Nationalist advance, masking the weakness of the Republican line. Nevertheless, the situation for the Republicans remained desperate. Fighting continued throughout 13 February as Varela's forces kept pressing hard, concentrating their efforts to the south of "Suicide Hill" in the low hills between the heights of Pajares and Pingarrón, in the centre of the Nationalist drive. After several attacks, eventually the Edgar Andre Battalion was forced to withdraw under the weight of a strong artillery barrage from Nationalist 155 mm guns firing from Marañosa Hill and fire from a supporting Condor Legion heavy machine gun battalion. Exploiting the resultant gap, Barrón's troops almost reached the town of Arganda del Rey and the coveted Madrid–Valencia road, but elsewhere the Nationalists were not able to capitalise on the success as the advance had ground to a halt, and as a result Varela ordered Barron to halt his advance as he was concerned that they would be cut off if they advanced too far ahead of other Nationalist units. Republican counterattack On 14 February the Republicans counter-attacked Barrón's men with fifty T-26 tanks, supported by infantry, artillery and air cover. Although it did not re-take any lost ground, the counter-attack again bloodied the Nationalists and halted their advance. The shaken Nationalists went as far as to call the 14th "el día triste del Jarama" ("the sad day," a throwback to Hernán Cortés' Noche Triste). On 17 February General José Miaja took overall command of the Republican front. Command had previously been split between him and General Pozas, hampering the co-ordination of Republican strategy. Miaja mounted a major counter-offensive to clear the eastern back of the Jarama. Forces under Líster made a frontal assault on the heights at Pingarrón, only to be driven back with up to 50% casualties. On the tactical execution of these counterattacks, one Nationalist soldier reflected: Another futile and costly attack was made by troops under Juan Modesto from the direction of the Manzanares river to the north on the Nationalist hill-top position at Marronosa. Here again, the Republicans failed, at a heavy cost, to achieve their objectives. In